"We just wanted to show our concern and awhi after what was a really terrible thing."
Mr Latif is a father of two young daughters and said hearing what happened to Miss Pairama left a deep impact on him.
"It does break your heart and you know that as a parent you can only do so much for your girls and your kids, the whole cliche of it takes a village to raise a child is so true," he said.
Mr Latif's wife, Joanne Latif, said the vigil was a time to mourn as a community.
Messages chalked onto the concrete at Miss Pairama's vigil. Photo / RNZ / Jessie Chiang
"We felt there was a need to come together... and grieve together in solidarity and to recognise that each young person in our community is very valuable and make time to remember those who we lose," she said.
A lifelong resident of Māngere, Carmen Manuel, said they needed to come together as a community to support their youth.
"This is an awesome place, I've done all right here, I love this place," she said.
"I want [my kids] to see that ... there are great opportunities here, we just need to support each other and keep an eye on our tamariki because they're all our tamariki."
"In Te Ao Māori, we looked after each other like a village and that's no different to Māngere."
Some members of Dimetrius Pairama's whānau were also at the vigil.
